With the goal of lower costs and emissions, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS) and Siemens yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to introduce new electric propulsion systems.
With Austria-based Diamond Aircraft, the companies are showcasing a second generation serial hybrid electric airplane at the Paris Air Show, where the EADS and Siemens CEOs inked the research agreement.
The research partnership’s goal is to introduce hybrid drive systems for helicopters and large airplanes, while the airworthiness certification of full-electric and hybrid aircraft in the general aviation category is expected within the next three-to-five years.
“Today, aviation goes electric as we embark on the journey toward future electric propulsion,” EADS CEO Tom Enders said at the signing ceremony. “Electric aircraft are a key element in our research for the future of aviation. Only over the decades to come will we learn where the journey will take us, what shape and form electric propulsion will take. But we know we have no time to lose in terms of testing alternatives to fossil fuel. One thing is clear though: aviation will need to continue to fly with ever less fuel, less emissions and less noise.”
Peter Loscher, CEO of Siemens AG, said, “Innovations used in this hybrid plane will be instrumental in making transportation more sustainable in the long run, whether in the air, on land or at sea.”
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| MoU Signing, Paris Photo: EADS |
Siemens developed an integrated drive train for the second generation of the airplane, DA36 E-Star 2. It consists of two main components: the electric drive and a generator, which is powered by a small Wankel engine. The hybrid motor glider made a successful one-hour maiden flight in Vienna, Austria on June 1.
“The serial electric propulsion allows us to design airplanes with totally different characteristics than today,” Diamond Aircraft owner Christian Dries said. “Vertical take-off and high-speed cruise can be realized in a much more efficient way. The DA36 E-Star 2 was the next step to prove this technology and through its positive results to continue further developments.”
The new propulsion technology leads to drastically reduced noise emissions during take-off and will cut fuel consumption and overall emissions by about 25 percent compared to today’s most efficient aircraft drivers, company officials stated.
This first MoU among the three companies confirms the collaboration on the project which has existed since 2011.
Beyond the updated hybrid electric motor glider, EADS has developed and built an electric general aviation training aircraft in cooperation with Aero Composites Saintonge (ACS), called E-Fan, and has cooperated with Rolls-Royce on a smarter future distributed propulsion system concept. These three projects are known as ‘E-aircraft’ projects.